Hi. Bash on Windows 10? Doesn’t sound coherent, does it? The truth is I talk about bash, immediately Linux comes to mind. In fact, it’s a Unix shell developed by Brian Fox and adopted by default in most Linux and macOS distributions. Moreover, it is a computer program whose function is to interpret commands. It was written for the GNU project and is POSIX compatible. Under those circumstances, it is logical to think that this program is exclusive to Linux-based distributions. However, for some time now Microsoft has been flirting with GNU and what Linux stands for. In fact, since some time ago, Microsoft offers the Windows for Linux (WSL) subsystem. This innovation of Windows allows the user to have contact with the Linux system, without having to leave the primary system. Well, in this post we will see how to install and use bash in Windows 10.
How to enable the Windows Subsystem for Linux
WSL is a feature that allows Windows 10 users to use the Bash of the available Linux distribution. In addition, WSL provides a Linux-compatible kernel interface developed by Microsoft. Also, we can have the typical Linux directories like Home or Bin in Windows and the Windows directories in Linux bash. But maybe the most relevant aspect is to be able to use Bash commands inside Windows without the need to resort to a virtual machine. Well, let’s see how to enable this system. In the first place, follow this path to enter the optional features of Windows. Control Panel>Programs>Turn windows features on or off
In the box below, scroll down to find Windows Subsystem for Linux. Please check the appropriate box.
Wait a few seconds while the features are installed. Then restart the computer to confirm the changes.
Download and Install Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
Once the configuration is enabled, just go to the Windows Store and download the available distro. At the moment the following options are ready for download: Ubuntu, Kali, Open Suse Leap 15-1, Debian and Alpine WSL. Undoubtedly in the future more will be added. Well, this time we will use Ubuntu 18.04 LTS. You can download it from this link. Press Get and wait while the program downloads.
Once the download is complete, you can launch the program from the same store. Or you can also type Ubuntu from the Windows search engine. Please wait a few moments while the installation is completed. Then assign any user name and add a password.
Using Ubuntu for the first time
Once the preparations have been made, it’s time to test the operation of Ubuntu. With this intention, update the list of packages in the repositories by running the following command:
sudo apt-get update
Then type the password and press enter. Immediately the ubuntu bash will start working.
Well, finally we’ve seen how to install and use bash in Windows 10. From this moment on, just type Ubuntu in the search bar to launch the app. Before I say goodbye, I invite you to see our post about Microsoft employees infected with COVID-19. Bye
